CMA CGM and Beirut port authority GEPB launched a US$100 million expansion of the Beirut Container Terminal on 11 September, lifting annual capacity from 1.2 million to 2.8 million TEU and yard space from 45 to 80 hectares over roughly 18 months. Works include a new feeder quay with two mobile cranes, a customs inspection area with two X-ray scanners, a heavy-haul bridge, an automated gate complex and hybrid cargo-handling equipment. Beirut should pass 1 million containers in 2026.
Supply Chain Action Points
What this means for your business — and what to do about it:
On 11 September, CMA CGM and Beirut port authority GEPB launched a US$100 million expansion of the Beirut Container Terminal. Annual capacity rises from 1.2 million to 2.8 million TEU and yard space from 45 to 80 hectares, over roughly 18 months, which puts practical completion around March 2028. The scope includes a new feeder quay with two mobile harbour cranes, a customs inspection area with two X-ray scanners, a heavy-haul bridge, an automated gate complex and hybrid cargo-handling equipment.
Demand is already tight at the existing plant. Beirut should pass 1 million containers in 2026 against 1.2 million TEU of capacity, and because the announcement mixes containers and TEU, the honest reading is close to the ceiling rather than a precise utilisation figure. The programme adds roughly 1.6 million TEU a year of new capability, about 4,400 TEU a day, but almost none of it exists before 2028.
For the next 18 months the operative word is construction, not capacity. Berth, yard and gate works run alongside live operations. The five checklists below, for exporters, cross-border import e-commerce, factories, brands and professional procurement, cover how to trade through the build and how to be positioned when the capacity arrives.
For Exporters
For an exporter shipping into the Levant, the 11 September launch is a risk marker rather than a capacity announcement. Annual capacity moves from 1.2 million to 2.8 million TEU and yard space from 45 to 80 hectares over roughly 18 months, alongside a new feeder quay with two mobile harbour cranes, a heavy-haul bridge and an automated gate complex. Anyone quoting Beirut on 30-day validity should assume the gateway is a construction site for the entire quotation cycle.
Price the construction risk. Assume 900 forty-foot containers a year into the eastern Mediterranean, of which 300 discharge at Beirut, and assume two days of average additional port delay plus USD 45 per container per day of detention and storage, both assumptions. That is 300 multiplied by 2 multiplied by 45, or USD 27,000 a year of exposure that sits outside your freight rate. On a 300-container book earning USD 60 a container, that exposure equals the margin on 450 containers. Carry the delay cost as a named line rather than letting it disappear into general overhead.
Act on terms before the next tender. By 30 September, move Beirut quotations to 14-day validity and state explicitly who pays demurrage and detention, which is you under CIF and DDP and not you under FOB. Fix a FAK rate with a named space agreement on the top three eastern Mediterranean services and write a hard cut-off: if booking is not confirmed 21 days before the vessel, the cargo routes through the alternative gateway. Put one owner on the document set, the bill of lading, certificate of origin and commercial invoice, for every Beirut discharge. Reconcile that file against the terminal's gate rules before each sailing, not after a discrepancy appears on the quay.
The alternatives each cost something. Discharging at an alternative eastern Mediterranean gateway and trucking or feeding in adds a border crossing and a second document set. Holding cargo for a later, less congested call protects the rate but breaks the delivery promise. Switching to FOB moves the port risk to the buyer but changes the commercial conversation. The traps are specific to a construction phase. Berth windows move with the works, the automated gate brings new gate cut-off rules, and temporary yard reconfiguration changes how free time is counted. If the Incoterm is not explicit, all three land on you.
- By 30 September, move Beirut quotations to 14-day validity and state explicitly who pays demurrage and detention under each Incoterm, with CIF and DDP identified as seller-side.
- Fix a FAK rate plus a named space agreement on the top three eastern Mediterranean services before the next tender cycle.
- Set a hard rule: if booking is not confirmed 21 days before vessel arrival, cargo routes through the alternative gateway automatically.
- On the assumed 300 Beirut containers a year, two days of extra delay at USD 45 per container per day equals USD 27,000 of annual exposure; carry it as a line item, not inside the freight rate.
- Assign one owner for the bill of lading, certificate of origin and commercial invoice on every Beirut discharge.
- Confirm the Incoterm in writing for each shipment; if it is not explicit, berth, gate and free-time changes land on the seller.
For Cross-Border E-commerce
A cross-border importer should read the Beirut programme as a clearance and lead-time story before reading it as a capacity story. The two X-ray scanners in the new customs inspection area and the automated gate complex are what shorten the import leg. The 2.8 million TEU is what arrives in 2028. For the next 18 months, plan against construction, and be ready to take the inspection and gate benefit the day it goes live. Put a trigger date in the calendar for when the scanners are commissioned, because the stock release depends on it.
Model the inventory release. Assume monthly sales value of USD 120,000 into the Lebanese and wider Levant market, 30 days of safety stock, and a 6% cost of capital, all assumptions. If faster inspection and gate processing lets you cut safety stock from 30 days to 22 days, the cash released is eight days at USD 4,000 a day, or USD 32,000 of working capital, worth about USD 1,920 a year at 6%. Modest on its own, but it is free cash once the scanners run. Track the release against actual gate-in to gate-out times rather than the contractor's commissioning date.
Do the SKU and schedule work now. By 10 October, re-rank the top 20 SKUs by contribution per cubic metre and cap hero-product exposure to a single gateway. Move A-class SKUs from monthly to twice-monthly replenishment and hold the 22-day safety stock target until the scanners are confirmed live, then release it in one step. Set a booking rule: if the alternative gateway adds more than seven days of total transit, keep the Beirut booking and buy the delay out of stock instead. Stock policy sits with merchandising, gateway switching with logistics.
The alternatives are to pre-position stock in a regional hub ahead of construction peaks, which costs rent and ties up cash; to fly hero SKUs during disruption, which protects availability at a multiple of the sea rate; or to accept longer transit and publish a longer delivery date, which pushes returns and cancellations up. The recurring traps are unit confusion, because the terminal measures TEU while your cost sheet measures cartons, and free time. Detention clocks start the same day for everyone in a yard being reconfigured, and a delayed gate-out is billed to you. Confirm free-time terms in writing whenever the yard layout changes.
- By 10 October, re-rank the top 20 SKUs by contribution per cubic metre and cap hero-product exposure to a single gateway.
- Move A-class SKUs to twice-monthly replenishment and hold safety stock at 22 days until the two X-ray scanners are confirmed live, then release in one step.
- On the assumed USD 120,000 monthly sales value, the 8-day safety-stock reduction releases USD 32,000 of working capital, worth about USD 1,920 a year at an assumed 6% cost of capital.
- Adopt a booking rule: if the alternative gateway adds more than 7 days of total transit, keep Beirut and cover the delay from stock instead.
- Convert the terminal's TEU figures into cartons before any cost comparison; never mix the two units in one model.
- Assign stock policy to merchandising and gateway switching to logistics, with one owner each.
For Manufacturing Plants
A factory's exposure to the Beirut build is a lead-time and parts-availability problem, not a capacity problem. The investment is US$100 million over roughly 18 months, with a feeder quay, two mobile harbour cranes, a heavy-haul bridge and gate and yard works running alongside live operations. If your plant pulls imported components or consumables through an eastern Mediterranean gateway, the build period is what needs re-basing, not the 2028 capacity number. Berth windows, gate processing and yard capacity all move during the build, and none of the new capability is available until the programme completes.
Re-baseline the critical part. Assume a key imported spare part with a 45-day lead time routed through Beirut, and assume the construction phase adds a 14-day risk buffer, both assumptions. That takes planning lead time to 59 days. At a consumption rate of four units a month, lifting safety stock from 8 to 12 units covers the additional 14 days outright, at the cost of four units of working capital. If that part stops a line, the trade is not close. Review the buffer quarterly: if the works slip, the buffer grows, and if they finish early, the capital comes back.
Fix the schedule and the parts plan by mid-October. By 15 October, freeze a weekly rather than monthly shipping rhythm into the affected gateway, so production release follows actual vessel calls instead of a plan drawn up before the works began. Split critical spares across two lanes, one through the primary gateway and one through an alternative, and write the split into the monthly MRP run. Nominate one owner for gateway performance and one for spare-parts availability, and report both weekly. Check the alternative lane's free time and cut-off separately, because it will not match the primary gateway.
The alternatives are dual-lane sourcing, which costs a little on unit freight but removes a single point of failure; a deeper parts buffer, which is pure working capital; or a design change to a locally available component, which takes longer but removes the exposure permanently. The traps are schedule-related. Yard reconfiguration changes free time and pick-up slots, berth works move vessel windows at short notice, and an automated gate does not accept a manual workaround when a driver's booking reference does not match. Keep a named terminal contact for gate exceptions, because an automated gate offers no goodwill.
- By 15 October, switch the affected gateway from a monthly to a weekly shipping rhythm so production release follows actual vessel calls.
- On the assumed 45-day lead time plus a 14-day construction risk buffer, plan the key spare at 59 days and raise safety stock from 8 to 12 units at four units a month consumption.
- Split critical spares across two lanes, primary and alternative gateway, and write the split into the monthly MRP run.
- Report gateway performance and spare-parts availability weekly, with one named owner each.
- Re-check container free time and pick-up slots after every yard reconfiguration; the clock starts the same day regardless of works.
- Do not plan pick-ups around manual gate workarounds; an automated gate rejects a driver booking that does not match the reference.
For Brand Owners
For a brand, the Beirut programme is a service-level event with a 2028 payoff. Capacity moves from 1.2 million to 2.8 million TEU and yard space from 45 to 80 hectares in about 18 months, against a port expected to pass 1 million containers in 2026. The eastern Mediterranean gateway your customers depend on will be constrained throughout the build and materially better from around March 2028. The delivery promise you publish today has to survive both halves. Publish one promise for the build and a separate target for after commissioning, and label both internally.
Quantify the promise. Assume annual sales of USD 1.2 million into the Levant, an average order value of USD 40 and a 25-day delivery promise, all assumptions. Cutting five days off the promise moves five days at USD 1,200,000 divided by 365, or about USD 16,400, out of in-transit inventory, and shortens the window in which customers chase their orders. That is the real prize of faster inspection and gate processing, and it is worth more than the freight saving. Test the release against the returns window too, because a shorter promise also cuts the period in which a customer can change their mind.
Decide the promise and the channel rule before the peak. By 10 October, publish one Levant lead time for the construction period that the worst lane can hold, and keep the post-2028 target internal until the scanners and automated gate are confirmed live. Rank channels by contribution per unit and allocate constrained stock to the top two first, in writing. Add a gateway performance line to the monthly supplier and 3PL review, and require actual versus promised transit reported by lane rather than as an average.
The alternatives are to extend the published lead time and protect the promise, at the cost of conversion; to hold inventory closer to the customer and protect the lead time, at the cost of cash; or to split the range so slow movers sit on the longer lane while hero products keep the short one. The traps are promising a date the construction phase cannot support, letting customer service quote a transit logistics has not agreed, and assuming the 2028 uplift arrives on schedule when an 18-month build from 11 September 2026 completes around March 2028. Never let a construction timeline be recast as a customer commitment without a contractual buffer.
- By 10 October, publish one Levant lead time for the construction period that the worst lane can hold, and keep the post-2028 target internal until the scanners and automated gate are confirmed live.
- On the assumed USD 1.2 million of annual Levant sales, cutting five days off the promise releases about USD 16,400 of in-transit inventory; budget that as the benefit case.
- Allocate constrained stock by contribution per unit, top two channels first, with the rule documented.
- Require the 3PL to report actual versus promised transit by lane, not as a network average, in the monthly review.
- Do not publish a delivery date the construction phase cannot support, and align customer service scripts with the agreed transit.
- Treat the assumed March 2028 completion as a target, not a commitment; the 18-month build starts from 11 September 2026.
For Procurement Teams
Procurement should read the Beirut programme as a capacity option with a start date. The US$100 million build lifts annual capacity from 1.2 million to 2.8 million TEU and yard space from 45 to 80 hectares in roughly 18 months, with the new feeder quay and two mobile harbour cranes as the operating assets. Until then the gateway is constrained, and congestion-linked charges are the natural commercial argument a carrier will bring to the table. That argument is strongest while the build is underway and weakest once the new quay and cranes are working.
Price both halves. Assume an annual minimum quantity commitment of 900 forty-foot containers, 300 of them through Beirut, and assume a congestion-linked surcharge of USD 120 per container, both assumptions. Twelve months of that surcharge is USD 36,000 on the Beirut volume. Negotiated down to a USD 60 per container ceiling it is USD 18,000, so one clause is worth USD 18,000. Re-check the numbers against the carrier's actual tariff before you sign anything, and convert the saving into a contract term rather than a verbal understanding.
Split the contract. By 30 September, sign 12 months of committed space for the core eastern Mediterranean volume and leave incremental volume on spot, so the 2028 capacity uplift is negotiated from a clean position rather than given away in a term deal struck while the gateway is still constrained. Add two construction-period clauses: no new congestion surcharge without documentary evidence, a stated trigger and a per-container ceiling; and a diversion right allowing a change of gateway without penalty when transit exceeds the agreed threshold. Nominate one owner for carrier negotiations and one for clause performance tracking, and test every surcharge claim against the trigger definition monthly.
The alternatives are to take a longer term deal now in exchange for a rate discount, which trades optionality for price; to stay fully on spot, which costs rate certainty in a constrained gateway; or to route around Beirut entirely, which is the strongest walk-away position and the one to price before you negotiate. The traps are assuming the 2.8 million TEU figure is available capacity during the contract period when the build completes around March 2028; assuming a surcharge will be waived because the works are publicly known; and assuming a feeder or barge solution carries the same free time as the main gateway. Re-test the walk-away option each quarter, because its cost falls as alternative routings mature.
- By 30 September, sign 12 months of committed space for core eastern Mediterranean volume and keep incremental volume on spot ahead of the 2028 uplift.
- On the assumed 300 Beirut containers a year, negotiate a congestion surcharge ceiling of USD 60 per container against the assumed USD 120, cutting 12 months of exposure from USD 36,000 to USD 18,000.
- Add a construction-period clause barring new congestion surcharges without documentary evidence, a stated trigger and a per-container ceiling.
- Add a diversion right allowing a change of gateway without penalty when transit exceeds the agreed threshold.
- Verify every surcharge against the carrier's published tariff before signing, and nominate one owner for carrier negotiations.
- Do not price the assumed 2.8 million TEU uplift into the current contract period; the build completes around March 2028.